search engine optimization - Express Writers

The Future of Blogging: Today’s Recipe for a Perfect Blog Post

April 4, 2023April 4, 2023 by Korilynn V.

A craveable, delicious, delightful blog post isn’t much different from a pastry. As long as you follow the recipe, steps included, you will create a post your readers are hungry to devour – and might even return for more. The good news is you won’t make a special trip to the grocery store to get started on the perfect blog post. Everything you need is in your virtual pantry – you just didn’t realize it. Writing a blog post, especially in today’s competitive market, is intimidating. Once you break it down and understand the ingredients, however, you can whip up these readable bits on the fly and stay up with the trends for the future of blogging in 2023. So, What Do You Need to Craft the Perfect Blog Post in 2023? The future of blogging has certainly changed. What worked last year doesn’t necessarily apply today. Therefore, staying up on the latest blogging and SEO trends is essential so that you know what Google expects – and, more importantly, what today’s reader wants. The Perfect Blog Recipe Before you start to type, you want to make sure you have the following essentials ready to add to the mixing bowl: 1 click-worthy title 1 attention-keeping introduction A pinch of creativity A few cups of informative, scannable subheaders A splash of succinct body copy A handful of authoritative research and your expertise 1 part formatting 1 delectable conclusion A dusting of enthusiasm for the topic A garnish of passion for your niche Putting it Altogether – How the Future of Blogging will Change How You Use These Ingredients As you can see, the ingredients haven’t changed, but how and when you use them has. We will break down each portion of this recipe so that you know how to mix it all in and get your readers to come back for more. Creating Your Title By far one of the most essential ingredients! Your title sets the stage for what the reader can expect, even determining if they ever get past the SERPs to read your blog. Spend time on this stage of your recipe. In fact, whatever you title it as your “working” title, be prepared to come back and rework it until it is just right later. Don’t hastily toss forth the first title you have in mind. Instead, let it sit and rest, and the flavors meld together. Think of title creation as a slow, steady simmer rather than a rapid boil. A good title mixes intrigue and information and is not too long. Yes, Google says there is no limit, and the length of your title will not influence your search engine results. Instead, it affects whether or not someone will click on it. The first 60 characters matter the most – so make those count even if you have a 100-character title. Whatever you do, don’t over-sprinkle in the keywords for your title – not only will it kill your readability factor and turn off any enthusiastic taster, but it will turn away Google too. Roll Out Your Introduction Your introduction supports your title. So perhaps you may not create it until you have solidified your intro – and that’s okay. An introduction requires time and patience. While you will mix up something short, sweet, and enticing, you will also want it to rest a few hours before you revisit and rework it again. While adding a keyword to the introduction is essential, ensure it is not the highlighting flavor. An introduction gives readers just a taste of what else is to come, but the full flavor doesn’t explode until the end. Of course, if your introduction isn’t tasty enough to keep reading, the end doesn’t matter much. So, take your time, rework it after the entire blog is done, and ask yourself, would I eat this up? Never Forget the Power of Creativity Too many recipes lack creativity. Think of those five-star restaurants – are they working with “vanilla” recipes used over and over again? Of course not. They are hashing out something unique that stays with their branding but still tantalizes the tastebuds. Never leave out a pinch of creativity in your content – all of your content. Creativity should be tossed in from the start; if you can’t taste it, add more. Start Rolling Out Subheaders Subheaders help your reader scan and understand what they are about to digest. They should go in an even flow, make sense, and inform. Ideally, subheaders are introduced every 300-500 words max (there’s nothing wrong with adding them in fewer words as long as the words in between pack a powerful punch). Subheaders are a great place for optimizing with secondary keywords but don’t overdo it. Time to Mix in Your Body’s Copy You have a working title, and you’ve rolled out the subheaders. Now comes the time to mix together your blog’s body. But before you add anything, do your research. You may be an expert in your niche, but that doesn’t mean you won’t need resources to back up what you say. Today, using authoritative, high-quality links is still a must-have for any recipe. Search Engine Journal states that every site needs credible, authoritative, and trustworthy content – and a reader can’t take you at your word without some citations. As you mix up that copy, make sure to spice it up enthusiastically. Nothing turns a reader away more than negativity. So, likewise, be as passionate about your niche as you want your reader to be as you create your blog – if you are not excited about it, why should they be? A few other things to keep in mind while you mix up your body’s copy: Optimize Gently. Optimizing your content is like working gluten. Too much, and it’s gotten too chewy, stiff, and undesirable. Yes, keywords matter in 2023, but how and where you use them has changed. Focus on Your Brand’s Authority. What Google praises more than keywords are brand … Read more

5 Essential SEO Trends for 2019 You Can Put into Practice Immediately

March 24, 2022November 6, 2018 by Adam Oakley

As the final months of 2018 loom ahead, it’s time to start thinking about our strategies for next year. It’s that time of year to already start asking our marketing selves… How can we begin 2019 with a pop, sizzle, or a bang? Better yet, what can we do right now to ensure we get nothing but positively sparkling results (like the fizz in champagne) as we think about a new calendar year? Achieve the ROI we’ve been looking for? Make sure our online content hits the mark? How about finally earn more killer organic Top Three spots in Google we’ve been hankering for, for months? Today, I’m sharing with you five key SEO trends for 2019 that I think will be big. In fact, I think they’ll play a major role in content ranking success (or failure). Follow along and let’s see what tactics, strategies, and more will help you have a banner year, including SEO tips from today that are still relevant. [bctt tweet=”1. Be Mobile-Ready for Mobile-First Indexing 2. Featured Snippets Rankings Will Go Up in Value …these & 3 other top #SEO #trends for 2019 by @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”] 5 Must-Do SEO Trends for 2019 to Follow Today Unsurprisingly, SEO trends in 2019 are all about keeping up with technology, staying on top of Google’s latest developments, and reinforcing your commitment to content. Let’s get right to it. 1. Be Mobile-Ready for Mobile-First Indexing Our first trend is one that’s continuing from recent SEO trends in 2018. Back on March 26, 2018, Google announced they were rolling out mobile-first indexing on their Webmaster Central Blog. Previously, Google web crawlers looked at the desktop version of your pages and content to populate the SERPs. However, with the switch to mobile-first, this means that Google will be looking at the mobile version of your pages for indexing and ranking. So, what if you don’t have a mobile version of your website? (Oh, the horror.) What happens? Google will still look at your desktop site version to rank your pages. HOWEVER: Your pages probably won’t display properly for users on mobile devices (or they’ll be difficult to navigate, read, and use). THUS: Your page rankings will most likely suffer (if they haven’t already). In other words, why haven’t you updated your website for mobile browsing yet? [bctt tweet=”Top #SEO trends for 2019? @JuliaEMcCoy got you covered in this information-packed, ROI-focused blog. #contentmarketing ” username=”ExpWriters”] To be as mobile-friendly as possible for all shapes, sizes, and types of devices, Google first and foremost recommends using responsive design. However, if you have two versions of your website (a desktop version and a mobile version), the search engine has some best practices you can follow for good results (via the Google Developers guide): These best practices include: Making sure your mobile and desktop sites have exactly the same primary content Including metadata like titles and descriptions on both site versions Including structured data for both site versions For best results, ensure you have all of the above items checked for your site. What worked for technical SEO in 2018 will roll over to 2019. Lastly, consider updating your site design so it’s responsive – it’s a better practice for the overall mobile user experience (UX). 2. Featured Snippets Rankings Will Go Up in Value Overwhelmingly, featured snippets are taking over the top spot in Google rankings for lots of keywords. This is a big deal – users see these results at the top of the page, where the #1 ranked piece of content used to appear. In other words, that prime real estate is no longer guaranteed. Many marketers are thus calling this highly desirable snippet spot “position zero.” Naturally, you should want key pieces of your content to shoot to top placements in featured snippets – but how? A. Create Content that Ranks on Page 1 Before you can even think about getting your content in featured snippets, first, you need it to rank on its own. According to Ahrefs, most featured snippets come from content that ranks in the top 10 results, or on the first page. In particular, the majority (90.1% of featured snippets) tend to get pulled from content pieces that rank in the top 5 positions. It’s all about choosing the right keywords, writing great content for your audience, and providing value. (See trend #4). B. Focus on Answers to Questions According to a SEMrush/Ghergich & Co. study of 6.9 million featured snippets and 80 million keywords, only around 7% of generic keywords include featured snippets in the results. In comparison, 41.59% of keywords with questions include featured snippets in the results – a 480% increase! In particular, question keywords almost always include paragraph featured snippets. These types of snippets include a chunk of text that answers the question the user searched for (according to the study, these average out to about 46-84 words in length with a maximum of 370 characters). You can thus earn your ranking content a featured snippet by framing short, succinct paragraphs of text as authoritative answers. For example, when I type the question/keyword “how many counties are in Iowa” into Google, the results show this featured snippet that directly answers that question AND provides supporting details: Question/keyword: How many counties are in Iowa? Answer/featured snippet: “There are 99 counties in the U.S. state of Iowa.” C. Use Numbered and Bulleted Lists, Especially for Subheaders To get your content in list-style featured snippets, always make sure you use properly formatted subheaders (H2s and H3s) to break up and organize your text. Google often uses subheader information to populate list-style snippets, like this result for “what countries are the Disney princesses from”: 3. Create the Highest-Quality Content In August 2018, Google confirmed a major core algorithmic update that took a full week to roll out. According to SEOers like Barry Schwartz and Glen Gabe, this update was all about quality. It particularly affected sites that had low E-A-T (expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness). Barry Schwartz studied over 300 affected … Read more

20 SEO Experts & Resources You Should Be Following Today

June 19, 2024May 14, 2015 by Adam Oakley

If you want to learn to do something well, one of the best ways is to follow the leaders. This is as true in SEO as it is in any other industry. Luckily, the modern digital marketing world is filled with a huge assortment of SEO experts who are ripe with valuable information. Here’s a breakdown of the top influencers you should be following. 20 SEO Experts Every Content Marketer Should Follow Whether you’re a new marketer or an experienced professional just looking for some ways to improve your approach, these 20 SEO experts have lots to teach you: 1. Rand Fishkin: @randfish The self-proclaimed “Wizard of Moz,” Fishkin is the founder of Moz and one of the foremost SEO experts on the web. Fishkin and his team conduct regular “Whiteboard Friday” sessions about the ins and outs of SEO and content marketing, and are some of the web’s biggest leaders in quality content. 2. Neil Patel: @neilpatel Neil Patel is the founder of CrazyEgg, Hello Bar, Quick Sprout, and KISSmetrics. If you need advice on how to grow your online business, he’s the top person to follow. Considered one of the best analytics experts in the world of digital marketing, Neil Patel is also a columnist for Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and the Huffington Post. 3. Danny Sullivan: @dannysullivan The Founding Editor of Search Engine Land and Marketing Land, Danny Sullivan is the go-to expert when it comes to solving SEO problems. He is also the Chief Content Officer of Third Door Media and has been an active member of the search marketing and search engine world since 1996, way before SEO was a as big as it is today. For more Danny Sullivan, visit his personal blog, where he shares interesting information on a variety of topics related to Google and SEO. 4. Barry Schwartz: @rustybrick Barry Schwartz is a reputable SEO expert, editor of Search Engine Roundtable, and the President and CEO of New York-based web service firm RustyBrick, Inc. A self-defined “Search Geek,” Schwartz knows a thing or two about search engine marketing, and stands out as a leader in his field. 5. Joe Pulizzi: @JoePulizzi Joe Pulizzi is a Content Marketing Evangelist and the founder of Content Marketing Institute, which puts on the largest in-person content marketing event on the globe – Content Marketing World. He has written four books, including Epic Content Marketing. 6. Eric Enge: @stonetemple If you’re inspired by active people who are natural multitaskers, you will love Eric Enge, the “Digital Marketing Excellence Practitioner,” from Stone Temple Consulting. For more than three decades, he has reinvented himself as a passionate speaker, talk show host, author and entrepreneur. Declared the 24th most influential individual in the content marketing sector, Eric firmly believes that passion is the key factor in success. 7. Ann Handley: @MarketingProfs Ann Handley is the Head of Content at Marketing Profs. She’s also the author of the bestseller Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content. Known as a first-class speaker, author and content creator, she does a great job of “Waging a war on mediocrity” in online content. 8. Henneke Duistermaat: @HennekeD The UK-based business writing coach and “irreverent marketer” is a regular contributor at Copyblogger, and a trusted source for anyone who wants to learn to streamline and enhance their content marketing. 9. John Doherty: @dohertyjf A professional marketer, entrepreneur, and startup advisor, John Doherty is the Founder GetCredo, an organization that helps companies find the right agencies to work with. 10. Ann Smarty: @seosmarty Ann Smarty is the founder of MyBlogU and the Brand Manager at NinjasMarketing. She’s a fantastic source for all things modern SEO, and offers great, minute-to-minute insight into the industry. 10 Top Resources to Follow (Guest Blogs, Search Engine News, & More) Now that you’re familiar with the top ten SEO influencers, it’s time to consider the best SEO resources out there. These organizations, firms, and companies are sources of quality content and insider information: 1. Social Media Today: @socialmedia2day In case you are looking for a way to develop your own content strategy and explore social networks, look toward Social Media Today. Showcasing a cutting-edge mix of technology and data, and social business news, tips, and marketing advice, Social Media Today is one of the primary leaders in the world of social media marketing. 2. Marketing Land: @Marketingland If you want to become a part of dynamic search marketing landscape, you’ll want to check out the weekly recaps from Marketing Land. One of the most respectable sources of fresh information, stats, and how-to guides. Marketing Land offers information on everything from mobile marketing to retail marketing, and covers all the aspects an SEO-savvy marketer should consider when developing a first campaign. 3. Search Engine Journal: @sejournal If you’re interested in a trustworthy source focused on things like paid search, social media, content marketing, SEO, and search engines, then Search Engine Journal is a great pick for you. Featuring daily doses of well-written, informative, and engaging content, Search Engine Journal is your one-stop shop for search news. 4. Search Engine Land: @sengineland Still can’t tell the difference between Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM)? If that’s the case, Search Engine Land is your go-to source. Designed to share the most comprehensive reports, webcasts, and white papers, Search Engine Journal is your source for breaking news and PPC and SEO analysis. 5. SEMRush Blog For people who want to learn more about online marketing, keyword research, social media, SEO and PPC without having to read hundreds of pages, there’s the SEMRush Blog. SEMrush represents an amazingly complete source of inspiration. This blog delivers a full picture of modern SEO and marketing in a way even beginners can understand. 5. Hubspot Blog The Hubspot Blog focuses on delivering quality marketing, sales, and agency content in a convenient package. With more than 2 million monthly visitors, this source is widely regarded as one of the most trustworthy on the web, and consistently ranks … Read more

Does Social Media Actually Have Any SEO Impact?

December 31, 2020May 5, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Social media is becoming more and more a necessary value instead of a commodity. But still, many people question its necessity and validity. Some think that it can work well for certain businesses but that it might not be a tool that other businesses, including their own, will need. However, social media can be a great way to drive website traffic and bring in more clients and create long-lasting relationships with customers. One of the main questions that people bring up when asking about social media for their company is if it has any impact whatsoever on their SEO and just how much of an impact it might have. How Does Social Media Impact Your SEO? When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), we are all looking for new and improved ways to help get our content noticed. I’ve talked about the many different changes to SEO over the last few months, especially Google changes, and the one thing many people wonder about is if social media has any impact. It might not seem like it has much of an impact, but you might be surprised when you get into the nitty-gritty of new SEO tactics. According to a Business 2 Community author, the reality is that social media does impact SEO and it helps to bring out great success for your website, content, and products. I am going to reference this article throughout this blog to give you some great reasons on how social media can and will impact your SEO. Does This Mean You Really Need Social Media? If you haven’t jumped on the social media bandwagon, now is the best time to do so. Many people wonder if they really need social media for their business because it seems like such a “young person club.” Many businesses that don’t reach out to younger demographics often question its validity, but it should be noted that many younger people started out with social media because their parents were on there, too. This means there is a wide age demographic throughout social channels, which can help you reach out to any age, not just young to older Millennials or even younger generations growing up. Which Social Sites are the Best to Boost SEO? There isn’t one specific site that truly boosts SEO the best. Google Plus is a great option to get ranked on Google, but again, it is not the only one that can do so. What you need to do is play around with social media and try the holy trinity of Facebook, Twitter, and G+ in the beginning. You can branch out from there at a later time, but get your feet wet first before diving fully into social media. Once you’re more established or understand a bit of the social media game, then it is time to get working on other channels if they will benefit your company. 12 Ways Social Media Actually Really Does Impact Your SEO Now that I have looked at why you need social media and that it can impact your SEO, you are probably wondering just how it does. I am also going to take a look at how you can use it to further your web content and business. Social Media Profiles Rank on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). In the Business 2 Community article I shared earlier, the writer mentions that social media profiles do rank on the SERP. When someone searches for a product or service, your social channels have a high likelihood of ranking in those search results, which can lead people to your business. This is why it is important to optimize your profiles fully before it is too late. Social Shares Can Give Your Webpage More Inbound Links. While you don’t always want to focus on inbound links, the Business 2 Community article points out that it does create great, organic inbound linking. These links will help to validate your website, and can help you become an authority with Google. When this happens, your website is more likely to be ranked higher than ever before, which is exactly what you are aiming for if you’re reading this blog. In short, your social channels and links will help create more visibility for your web page, which is a tremendous help to bring in new customers and more revenue. Mixing Social Media and SEO Increases Your Online Presence. Just like with blogs, social media, combined with SEO, can help increase your online presence, making it larger and more accessible. A larger Internet presence might seem daunting, but this is something you should be aiming for. If you do not have a larger presence, you are less likely to be found organically, which means more money being spent on advertisements to gain new clients. Traffic From Social Media is Organic Traffic. According to the Business 2 Community article, about 95 percent of all links created in traditional link building techniques aren’t very effective. They don’t bring in organic traffic nor do they bring in enough of your targeted audience to bring about the revenue and success you want to see. However, by using social media, you are much more likely to drive organic traffic from your links because it will come from your followers. This will bring in great quality visitors that are likely to turn into customers and they in turn can share your information bringing in even more customers. Social Media is the Best Way to Bring in Mobile Users. April 21st has come and gone, which means that Google’s latest, and largest, update has been in effect for a few days. This update makes it vital for all businesses to have a website that is mobile friendly, and what is the best way to bring in mobile users to your new, or freshened up, mobile friendly site? Using social media. You need to have a social media presence to bring in your mobile clients, and as we can all see, mobile users … Read more

PubCon Vegas 2014 Speaker Talks about SEO as Content Marketing

December 31, 2020October 31, 2014 by Adam Oakley

PubCon is the top social media and optimization conference: it’s supported by the top businesses, speakers, exhibitors, and sponsors involved in social media, Internet marketing, search engines, and digital advertising agencies. (Yes, one day I’ll make it to one.) This awesome event always offers an in depth look at the future of technology, as envisioned by the top-speakers, in cutting edge sessions. Moreover, at PubCon Vegas 2014, a noteworthy speaker made it widely known that content marketing and SEO are irrevocably joined at the hip. At the recent PubCon in Las Vegas, Carolyn Shelby spoke about how content marketing and SEO are inextricably linked. Shelby is the Director of SEO and SEM for Tribune Publishing. She also works for six Tribune newspapers, plus the LA Times and the Chicago Tribune. She has been in the industry since 1994, and she has been professionally designing and developing websites for nonprofits and a diverse variety of businesses since 1995. She consults, she speaks, and she isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty with hard online work. Her specialty is rehabbing underperforming and outdated websites. In addition, her appearance at PubCon sheds some new light on SEO as content marketing. What are SEO and Content Marketing? As you know, SEO is the acronym for search engine optimization. SEO is the process of affecting the visibility of a specific website or web page in a SERP’s “natural” or un-paid (“organic”) search results. Lee Odden, an industry expert from the Content Marketing Institute, recently described SEO as “a customer focused content marketing program.” He went on to say that it’s like a “sandwich” in which “SEO is the mayonnaise.” Although the mayo touches just about everything and enhances the sandwich’s flavor, it’s not exactly appetizing on its own. Content marketing is marketing that involves the creation and sharing of media content in order to draw in and retain customers. You might liken it to the bread of Odden’s sandwich. Good quality bread can really make a sandwich and complement its contents. While the bread may be scrumptious all on its own, it’s usually the contents of the sandwich that lead us to eating it. Why You Need SEO in Content Marketing If SEO is like mayo and content marketing is like bread, then obviously both are important. In her segment at PubCon, Carolyn Shelby listed the following reasons for why you need SEO in your content marketing: It helps identify the goals for your marketing, and it creates a performance benchmark It helps you select your themes and topics through good old-fashioned keyword research It assists you in writing that unbelievably amazing, on topic content It allows you to decide where to distribute and promote your content for the best visibility to your target audience It gives you the capability to run reports that show your ROI However, these aren’t the only reasons you need SEO and content marketing as a combo. Regardless of what people say, SEO and content marketing aren’t duking it out to see which species survives to the next step of cyber evolution. We’re not looking at survival of the fittest or a corporate takeover. We’re staring at a merger. The people who go around pushing “Content Marketing vs. SEO” are chomping at the bit to pit them against each other like a couple of prizefighters. Not only do they want you to pick a side, but they also need you to do so. Do I have your attention? SEO versus Content Marketing The apparent implication comes across that, in order to be wise with your digital marketing budget, you have no choice but to choose between hiring only one type of specialist over the other. In this case, it’s the SEO guru over the content marketing king. Maybe you have a $3,000 budget dedicated to marketing to allocate as seen best fit per month. The dilemma then becomes, do you put your eggs into the content marketing or SEO basket? The only way this makes any kind of sense is if the intended SEO in question is of the black-hat variety. Black-hat SEOs were indeed a booming, albeit questionable, business practice for years. Today, their methods are entirely unethical, ineffective, and downright dangerous to your SEO strategies. Search engines don’t take too kindly to websites caught running a black-hat SEO tactic and they penalize those found guilty of doing so accordingly. It can be disastrous. The truth is white-hat SEO practices are tried and true methods of increasing visibility and ultimately readership, thus leading to conversion. One of the most talked about white-hat SEO methods is creating and publishing high quality content. Guess what? We just stepped into the domain of a seasoned content marketer. There is no choice between SEO and content marketing. They work together. In fact, awesome content is quickly turning into the ultimate SEO tool! SEO as Content Marketing: Two Sides of a New Coin Savvy online marketing professionals should come to the conclusion that content marketing and SEO are the two key contributors in an enterprise-focused marketing strategy. If your website is lacking in one or both of these areas, it has to be brought up to par. SEO experts shouldn’t be living in fear of the extinction of the craft they’ve worked so hard to build. Their roles will continue to be vital for a brand’s marketing strategy because they know better than anyone that effective, ethical SEO can’t happen without the necessary content to optimize. And where the content gurus know the ins and outs of epic content—like citations and internal linking going SEO viral—the SEOs know how to get search engines to see that content. We all strive to create high quality content with the intention of supporting our marketing objectives. If done properly, an integral part of our execution strategies will be focused on creating optimizations that will increase the probability of our content being discovered on search engine result pages. As it stands, claiming that SEO and content marketing … Read more

The Future of SEO: Topics Instead of Keywords

December 31, 2020August 8, 2014 by Adam Oakley

Recently, there’s been a big push in the SEO community toward “topics rather than terms.” While the SEO of yesteryear was obsessively focused on keyword research and inclusion, today’s SEO has expanded to be more natural, conversational, and user-focused. Over the last several years, we’ve seen significant shifts in optimization, including Google’s massive push for high-quality, well-written content and the introduction of ranking tools like RankBrain, to name a few. While keywords can be valuable, and they’ve gained their important position in SEO for a good reason, they’re not the most natural strategy for modern SEO, and many site owners and users alike have found them stale, stuffy, and unproductive. This has created the ultimate opportunity for a new approach to take over. Why “Topics Over Terms” Takes the Cake If you’ve worked in the content marketing industry for years, you know exactly how many changes this industry has seen. From Panda to Penguin, Google has shifted its ranking algorithms regularly, and marketers have changed their approach to developing content, in turn. This has caused a dramatic change in the way people discover content, and the way search engines rank it. While Google and other search engines used to deliver content based on its adherence to standards, like keyword saturation, those rules have ceased to be useful or relevant, and today’s focus is more nuanced. Today, value and relevance take the cake, while spammy, SEO-obsessed content falls by the wayside. This is where the push toward topics rather than terms enters the picture. Today, people are using dozens of different methods to search for the content they love, from mobile platforms to voice searches, and Google has had to adapt as a result. This has led to a push for authoritative content that delivers a positive user experience. We’re staring down the barrel of a new key focus: today, the only way to the top is to understand your target audience and produce the kind of quality content they want. When you do this correctly and take the current SEO environment into account in the process, you can establish yourself as an authority in the industry and enjoy a wider reach than ever before. The Variability of Modern Search Engines In recent years, the way search engines process and obtain information has shifted dramatically. Historically, marketers have paid careful attention to keyword rankings within search engine results. Even though keyword rankings change depending on where you are, how you search, and which terms you use, and thus have thousands of different arrangements at any moment, people have historically looked to them as trustworthy ranking mechanisms. Unfortunately, they’re not. Further adding to the instability of traditional methods of determining ranking is the shift of search engines toward featured snippets, which platforms like Google now roll out more and more to cater to users and offer value. Google, specifically, has also begun to lean toward machine learning, most notably with its RankBrain algorithm, which helps Google process its millions of daily searches and understand the user intent behind them. Thanks to developments like RankBrain, Google now knows that someone searching for “Fitness studios in NYC” is likely also interested in a yoga or Pilates studio, even though they never explicitly used these keywords. This is called semantic search, and it’s at the center of the “topics rather than terms” revolution. Your Target Audience Is Everything For years, there’s been a rallying cry throughout the world of content marketing: know your target audience. And that holds just as true in the age of topics over terms as it did in years prior. After all, your target audience is your ultimate consideration. Since they’re who you’re creating content for, it pays to get it right and ensure that they’re receiving it as well as you’d like them to. This isn’t a new realization. In recent years, sources like Moz (in a Whiteboard Friday) have explained how targeting specific kinds of people (your target audience) and the topics they’re interested in could be one of the most efficient traffic-driving strategies, blowing keyword-based ranking out of the water. While a general keyword strategy can help your target audience find your content, it won’t ultimately help them engage with it. The reason is simple: an excessively strict keyword creates restrictions. Readers want relevant, informative, and engaging content. They want to learn something new, and it’s hard to do that with content that’s only focused on achieving a 3% keyword density. Now that rates of voice and mobile search have skyrocketed, and Google’s Hummingbird algorithm update, which helps the search engine process natural language queries, has launched, it’s more important than it’s ever been to identify the topics your target audience is interested in. If you were to focus only on keyword inclusion, you’d be hemmed into 10 or 20 keyword phrases. Expand that to a “topic” focus, though, and you’ll quickly find that there are dozens of long-tail variations within each given topics. According to Fishkin’s whiteboard, creating landing pages with each key term or phrase can create unnecessary words, overlapping information, and user confusion. With search engines determined to bring the best possible experience to the user, it’s a sure bet that confusing content won’t make it high in ranking. How to Focus on Topics over Terms in Your Content The benefits of focusing on topics over keywords are undeniable. The question now is where do you start? Here’s your five-step breakdown. 1. Research Your Product(s) and Service(s) Mike Small from SiteProNews recommend using the Google Keyword Planner tool (it’s free) via a Google AdWords account to research and select your keyword themes. You can also stick to the most notable “core keywords” you have already identified to choose your keyword theme, and then move to step two. Keep in mind that long-tail keywords count, and these keywords are invaluable for placing in local searches and building out your topic strategy. Once you’ve found a few keywords you want to target, work on building out topics that complement and enhance them. 2. Get Creative When you rank content with keywords, … Read more

Keyword Optimization: 5 Do’s and Don’ts to Follow to Score SERP Rankings

August 25, 2022April 30, 2014 by Adam Oakley

Keyword optimization isn’t as technical as you may think. It’s not about counting keywords and doing math equations. Instead, excellent keyword SEO involves: Inserting keywords using natural language where it counts … That’s it! In fact, as long as you strategically place your focus keyword/secondary keyword in the right spots, you can forget about keywords altogether as you write. Using this strategy has helped my own content nab top rankings in Google, including the #1 position. Sound good? I thought so. Let’s examine the nitty-gritty do’s and don’ts of keyword placement and SEO to help guide you to SERP success. 5 Do’s and Don’ts to Improve Your Keyword Optimization 1. Don’t Focus on Keyword Density Keyword density refers to how often your keyword(s) appear within your content piece. To figure out the keyword density of a piece of content, you count how many times the focus keyword shows up and divide that figure by the total number of words. However, you don’t have to understand how this works, because keyword density is an outdated concept. It doesn’t matter. You do NOT have to count keywords when writing for SEO. Google and other search engines are smarter now than 10 years ago (when KD was a big deal). They’re no longer looking for instances of a keyword in your content – instead, they’re looking for context and relevancy, and matching the user’s search intent. The only time you need to worry about keyword density is if you’re using your keyword(s) too many times. That’s called keyword stuffing. That’s spam. So, what should you do, instead? 2. DO Pay Attention to Keyword Placement for SEO Content Optimization Instead of inserting your keyword(s) wherever you can, focus on strategic keyword placement. Use your keywords in the right places, using natural language, and your content is more likely to get ranked. Search engines look at how keywords are used on your page. The algorithms use these clues to figure out what your page is about. If your keywords appear in key places, that sends a signal to search engines, i.e., “Hey! This page is about [insert your focus keyword here]!” These are the key spots to insert your keywords so search engines take note: The H1 (the headline/title of your content) H2s (the main subheaders) H3s (sub-subheaders) Once in the intro/first paragraph Once in the conclusion/last paragraph Sprinkled throughout the text (used naturally) These key placements apply to your focus keyword as well as any related or synonymous keywords. For an example of correct keyword placement in a blog that’s ranking right now, look at EW’s own post, “How to Outsource Your Content Writing (Successfully).” The keyword we wanted to rank for was “outsourcing content writing.” As you can see, we’re currently ranking #1 on Google for this keyword (after the paid search listings). This is why: A. The focus keyword appears in the H1, in various H2s throughout the blog, and within the introduction. B. Related keywords are sprinkled throughout, and are used in some H2s. C. The concluding paragraph has a keyword-optimized H2 and contains the focus keyword, plus a related term. D. All of the keywords are inserted in the text naturally, effortlessly, and with variations as needed for correct grammar. All of these strategic keyword placements add up to blaring signals for Google and other search engines to latch onto – they can’t ignore these signals! Once the keywords are in place, if the content quality is high, and if the piece is relevant to the user, Google will rank it highly. That’s exactly what happened here. Another keyword we rank for using the same strategic keyword placements: “blogging statistics.” This is the post on Google, currently in the #3 position: To help you get a big-picture view of what optimized keyword placement looks like, check out this zoomed-out screenshot of the blog post in question, “Why Blog? 52 Incredible Blogging Statistics to Inspire You.” In addition to using the focus keyword, “blogging statistics,” in the major spots, we also have instances of related keywords in key areas, like “results from blogging,” “blogging online marketing,” and “blogging commitment.” We did NOT count how many times we used the keywords, but rather used them when it felt natural, with grammar variations to keep the text readable. THAT is a major part of why this blog ranks so well right now. 3. Don’t Ignore Less Obvious Keyword Opportunities SEO content optimization isn’t only about the textual content. It’s also about details the user can’t necessarily see on the page, but you can tweak on the back-end. Don’t miss these keyword opportunities. A. Meta Titles and Descriptions To boost your SEO, your metas should be optimized for all your content pieces. The meta title is an obvious one (A.K.A. your headline or H1), but don’t forget to add your focus keyword to the meta description, too. To learn how to write and add optimized metas to your blog posts, check out our guide on blog optimization. B. URLs Yep, the URLs for all your content can be keyword-optimized. Blogs each have their own page/URL, so this is especially relevant for that type of content. To make them user and search engine-friendly, include only the most important words and separate with hyphens, i.e.: “https://yourwebsite.com/focus-keyword-or-phrase-here” For example, this is the URL for our post where the focus keyword is “blog optimization”: Imagine if the URL for this blog looked like this: “https://staging.expresswriters.com/blog/asdjklei/1282398/hse248ha-optimization-12” That looks scary for a user coming fresh to your site. (Are they on the right page? What are you trying to load onto their computer??) Search engines don’t like it, either. A short, clean, descriptive URL is best-practice in both cases. C. Image Alt Text One final place where you can use keywords: image alt text. Alt text is an attribute within the code for displaying an image in your content. It tells the web browser what to display if the image can’t load. This can be an opportunity to use … Read more

8 Reasons Why Content is the Most Crucial Element of SEO Today

January 1, 2021April 22, 2014 by Adam Oakley

If you are in the SEO business or in case you are thinking about it, there is one major rule you will have to keep in mind: the search engines don’t care about companies; they only rank content. It doesn’t matter how great your company is if you can’t offer the readers high quality content. The main purpose of search engines (including Google) is to offer their users the best experience possible. When a user searches the answer to a question, the more details the answer has, the more useful it is for the user. As a result relevant and high quality content will have a better ranking in the search results. All this determines your goal in content creation: publishing marketable, useful and relevant information. This will boost your ratings and it will ensure that your SEO strategy will have long-term effects. So here is why content is the key element of SEO: 1. People Are Interested in What You Have to Say According to Brafton.com 52% of people made purchase decisions based on what they read on blogs and 57% of the marketers gained new customers because of their content. 42% of people look for articles and blogs about the products that they wish to purchase and 60% of the marketers claim that content helps them make better decisions. 61% of the customers say that they are likely to purchase the products of a company that offers custom content. All this should show you how important your content really is. Now that you know your content makes all the difference, what could you do to improve it for higher SEO ranks and more traffic? 2. Give the Consumers What They Need First of all, you have to know what your target audience is. Secondly, you need to know what they want and what information is relevant to them. If you don’t, you will waste time and energy offering solutions to problems that don’t exist. Once you know what the target audience wants, make sure that the content you offer is really helpful. Think of the most common questions and offer answers. This way you will become the source of knowledge to the readers. While the other people will be too busy with self-marketing, you will give people exactly what they need which is the best self-marketing strategy ever. 3. Just Give Yourself Regardless of the kind of content you are thinking about, you can be sure that there are hundreds of people who thought of it before you woke up this morning. This is why you will have to find ways to make your content stand out; find ways to present your content in a way that has never been used before. If your content is similar to the others’, you will just need to add value to it. There are many different ways to make your content stand out, such as adding videos, infographics, images, or anything else that would make it unique. 4. Boredom Is the Death of SEO You may be working in a field that is boring or dry, but you can be sure that they are always ways to add a fun and creative spin to it, even if you are in the field of toilet seats. One of the most important aspects that you will have to be thinking about is branding, according to Seth Godin. Based on information from brafton.com, half of the users are more likely to visit a page if it appears several times among the search engine results. For this you will need a diversified content strategy. It means that you should have blogs, webpages, images, videos, whitepapers, social snippets, infographics, and anything else you could think of. All this will result in people being engaged with your brand. You will be able to fill the content gaps and you will maximize the benefits of all your content. 5. Content Reduced to Keywords When you’re searching for something with the help of search engines, you have to type in keywords. These are the same keywords that the users type in to find your content. Since you know what your target group wants, you should have a pretty good idea of what keywords they might use to reach the desired content. All these keywords must be a part of your pages. This way in the moment the user hits enter, your content will be first on the list of results. 6. Can Keywords Reduce Your Ranking? In order to have high ranks on the search engine results, there is need for your content to contain keywords. So, why wouldn’t you include all the keywords that you can think about? The truth is this is a very bad strategy. Keyword stuffing isn’t the solution to your problem. If you have too many keywords, the content will lose its purpose and it won’t be useful to the readers. This is why there is a keyword density accepted by common sense. If your web content keyword density is higher, it will hurt your ranking. On the other hand, if you don’t have keywords, it will become very difficult to attract traffic to your content. 7. Is Your Content Engaging? If you have high quality content, you will be able to engage the readers and this is something that the search engines also measure. The more time readers spend on your site, the better the rankings will be. If you don’t have high quality content, the readers will simply bounce back to the search results and, again, this will hurt your ranking. 8. Be “Socially” Involved You can see social media everywhere you look. If you get shares, likes, tweets, or any other kind of social feedback, it means that you have high quality content and this is something that the search engines will appreciate as well. All in all, no matter what kind of feedback you’re striving for, it all comes back to your content and whether or not your readers … Read more

10 SEO Predictions for 2014

January 1, 2021January 21, 2014 by Adam Oakley

Last year, search engine optimization (SEO) gurus rode a wild rollercoaster of change as Google updated a slew of search engine algorithms. New and exciting algorithm changes are expected for 2014, but one staple of SEO seems to remain static: high-quality, fresh content. SEO Is Not Dying, But Evolving The truth is: SEO is far from dying; it’s evolving. In 2014, Google will be working overtime to weed out fraud. To ensure that you’re earmarked as a productive plant instead of a weed, here are some of the top SEO predictions and how to apply them: Prediction #1: Google’s Crackdown on Spam “Cheaters never prosper.” This idiom holds unmistakable application to SEO cheaters and spammers, the folks who rely on shortcuts over good, old-fashioned hard work. Those who cheat will lose credibility and reputation in 2014. Eventually, they will fail altogether. Guidelines aren’t issued just to look pretty, and Google is getting more aggressive about penalizing sites who insist on operating outside of their posted SEO guidelines. Familiarizing yourself with Google’s guidelines is important as we embark on a new year because spammers and cheaters will find themselves getting the ranking boot. Here’s what to avoid: Don’t ignore Google’s SEO guidelines, familiarize yourself with them. Don’t load your content with keywords over quality, relevant material. Don’t backlink without proper research. Don’t use shortcuts thinking they will give you quick ranking until you “find time” to flesh out content per SEO guidelines. Prediction #2: Negative SEO Attacks Are a No-No The competitors’ war wages on and, unfortunately, some like to take their gloves off in the ring. In 2014, you’ll need to be wary of competitors who attempt to attack your rankings through low quality links. Search Engine Watch published a great piece discussing the ins and outs of negative SEO attacks. In essence, a negative attack occurs when a competitor tries to destabilize the organic visibility of a website or single page on Google. Some experts predict such attacks to grow in 2014. The good news is that Google is aware of such unscrupulous tactics and while they admit damage to rankings is possible, they stand by their webspam team. Crackdowns on spam will be the undoing of anyone choosing to wield this tactic. Prediction #3: Social Media and Google+ We already know social media is a cornerstone of search engine optimization. The staple platforms continue to grow and adapt to the needs of audiences, businesses and marketers. Social signals are predicted to grow continually important throughout 2014. Search engines are now crawling actual social sends, and it’s practically assured algorithms will adjust accordingly. Social network dominance will only improve your SEO results. If you aren’t using Google+ religiously to post new content and media, you’re missing out on a huge SEO opportunity. In 2014, G+ Pages and Helpouts will likely drive the popularity of both the network and its weight in the SERPs. You see, Google’s emphasis on author rank is quickly becoming an effective means of significantly increasing your credibility and reputation. Here’s how it works: Google is encouraging users to get more active on their Google+ profiles by connecting to their content. By linking articles, blogs, press releases, etc., to your Google+ profile and making a link appear on your profile page, author rank will be triggered. Google+ posts are crawled, and index almost immediately— and, thanks to Google Authorship, all of your content will be branded to you. By using Google+ consistently, you can increase your SEO results exponentially. Prediction #4: Long Tail Keywords In 2014, long tail keywords will likely grow in popularity. Such keywords consist of 3 to 5 word phrases designed to target specific, relevant search phrases with the goal of pulling in traffic through targeted content. We expect to see the popularity of these keywords increase due to Google’s focus on generating more targeted search results. Consumers know what they want. They are more likely to enter a phrase versus keyword into a search, such as “how to plan a wedding on a budget” versus “wedding planning.” As a result, the more focused you become in your optimization efforts, the more likely you are to see excellent results. Google’s search algorithms are armed with the ability to detect synonyms. Quality content won’t be stuffed with long tail keywords. Instead, it will be well-written, engaging and fresh. Keywords can and will be adapted to preserve the copy’s quality above all else. Prediction #5: Linking Is Not Dead Contrary to popular opinion, link building for SEO is not dead. Surprised? It’s true that in 2013 we saw a lot of hype from many sources, all crying wolf that link building was coming to an end. Google says differently, and they are the ultimate decision maker. SiteProNews put it perfectly, link building for SEO is still important “because search engines…need context about the content you’re publishing, and its related utilities.” Link building is not a simple matter of linking to random content or popular websites and expecting traffic to roll in. On the contrary, link building is a well-researched strategy. When choosing links, keep the following in mind: Ensure the content of the link add to or expand on the topic of your content. Research the link prior to using it. Things like Domain Authority (DA) matter. You might try using a free tool, such as MozBar, for researching links. Back linking is beneficial. It’s like a personal recommendation and establishes content specialization. It will become more important in 2014 as longer more specialized content becomes the trend for website owners seeking to command traffic and conversions. Advanced techniques—like finding and filling broken links on popular, high-ranking websites—will be “un-sexy but highly necessary,” according to SiteProNews. Prediction #6: Responsive Designs Will Win Mobile web surfing will increase in 2014 as people move further away from laptops and desktops in favor of tablets, smart phones and other mobile devices. Therefore, simple responsive designs will make you a … Read more

How to Research & Prepare Your SEO Keywords for the New Year

December 31, 2020January 8, 2014 by Adam Oakley

According to Search Engine Watch, a leader providing search engine industry analysis, SEO marketing “finally matured in 2013.” In a single year, over 500 algorithm changes took place, changing the face of search engine optimization forever. In 2014, you’ll need to adapt to change if you expect to hold onto your SERP (search engine results page). In preparation for the New Year, we’ve investigated multiple resources and sorted out the pertinent research that will prepare you for the new word of SEO. SEO Copywriting Is More Important than Ever Newbie webmasters and business owners sometimes falsely believe that SEO copywriting is neither useful nor necessary. Such ideas could not be farther from the truth. In fact, we tackled this topic head on in one of our blogs on SEO copywriting. If you doubt for even a nanosecond that optimization for search engine placement is dying, you had better catch up by reading our post! In 2014, SEO will become more vital than ever. However, it absolutely must be handled correctly, otherwise it will be for naught. And the work you’ve already put into optimization now needs an overhaul, otherwise it’ll be hopelessly outdated and nonfunctional. You want website traffic? You want conversion and sales? You better listen up… Keywords Matter but They’re Not Almighty Over the years, opinions and facts about keywords have rapidly changed. At one time, content was bursting at the seams with keyword after keyword, repetitively stuffed in to gain high search engine rankings. Google put the kibosh on this outdated (and frankly, irritating) method of optimization for ranking in favor of quality content. People aren’t robots; they’ve never “crawled” over content and “indexed” it like early model search engine robots. Instead, audiences the globe over have cried out for the chance to read quality content, not sift through incoherent piles of keywords and phrases culminating in an “Order Now” button. As we wrap up 2013, one of the biggest and most buzzed about changes to SEO keywords is the loss of the Google Keyword tool. Moving forward, what does this mean for you? A Moment of Silence, Please Putting the Google Keyword tool to rest is an eventuality almost all of us have been expecting. For those of us neck deep in SEO research, we understand the transforming fact: users want quality content and a great experience above everything else, and Google has heard their voice. Cut the fluff and educate! That’s what consumers want. Back in 2011, Google started dropping hints to SEO marketers that their models and algorithms were about to change. The Panda, Penguin, and Hummingbird updates pushed an attention shift from the almighty repetitive keyword insertion to content quality and relevancy. As we step into the new world of 2014, it would be prudent to take a hard look at your SEO campaigns. It’s time to ensure they’re keeping up with the changes. Otherwise, you’ll be pushing campaigns that won’t push business, and that the last thing you want to do. It would mean a complete waste of planning and funds. SEO Content in 2014 For those of us on the warpath, determined to give our audience of potential customers exactly what they crave, many of the same standards we’ve adopted in the past year are still relevant. For example, we have written on our blog about never sacrificing content quality for rankings. This philosophy is still one of the essential SEO content writing tips and the best policy going into the New Year. In fact, you might say it’s the only policy. Climbing the search engine rankings is about to focus on longer quality content, relevant material and the use of keywords with variations. As the New Year is ushered in, every business owner and marketing guru will meet the change of dealing with new obstacles. Let’s take a look at 3 of the most monstrous obstacles: #1: Traditional SEO Methods Won’t Cut It Remember the days when inserting keywords and variations of those keywords equated to higher SERP rankings? Don’t live in those days because they’re going, going, gone. Mobile searching has taken root, and the almighty Google has made it a point to determine where users are searching from. As a result, SERPs are not static. Google is also tossing customer opinion into the mix. What customers say about you is going hold more weight than other SEO elements on your page. What does this mean for you? It’s time to see beyond an SEO strategy. You’re going to need a local, national, and international strategy so that searchers from any location have a chance to see you. Local search terms are about to be vital for your local SEO success. Customer testimonials will be more important than ever. #2: Static is Out Neither Google nor your market is static. Just because you hold a high search engine ranking today, doesn’t mean you’ll still hold it tomorrow. You have to play defense to keep your rankings high, and you have to expect them to fluctuate throughout the year. What does this mean for you? Ranking competition is fierce. You need a defensive strategy to survive the upcoming competition of 2014. SEO isn’t a one-time deal. It must be maintained and evolve as SEO practices change. If you plan on successfully defending your visibility, traffic and conversions to sales, you need to allocate both money and resources into your budget for 2014. Skimping is out of the question! #3: Quick Fixes Lead to a Quick Death The rule of 2014 is to following SEO best practices. Cutting corners and attempting quick fixes—you know, the “I’ll tie up the loose ends later” approach—is something Google will not tolerate. A quick fix would get you quickly banned from Google! The 2014 SEO Game Plan Now that your head is reeling from the challenges, let’s talk game plan. It’s time to push a positive spin on the new frontier of SEO. After all, it’s entirely possible you already have plenty of best … Read more